Apparatus for reducing fusible materials to dust.



Patentd lune I7, |902.

A. F. Mannen.

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FUSIBLE IATEB-IALS T0 DUST.

(Application ld gay 16,l l1899.) (lo llodel'.) I

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V No.- 702,736. Panama :une i7, |902.`

- A A.l F. MAnnEN,

APPARATUS FR BEDUCING FUSIBLE MATERIALS T0 DUST.l

(Application filed May 1-6, 189B.)

(No` Model.)

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Wl TNE SSE S /N VE N TO therewith, this casing UNITED STATES PATENT EECE.

ALBERT F. MADDEN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING FUSIBLE MATERIALS TO DUST.

Application lled May 16, 1899.

Serial No. 717,028. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern/.j p

Be it known that l, ALBERT F: MADDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Reducingr Fusible Material to Dust, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for reducing 'fusible material to dust.

The invention comprises a specially-constructed machine adapted for the reduction of a fusible substance, such as lead, to a state of extreme subdivision, so as to form an im. palpable dust which is so finely divided that it is capable of being Aheld in suspension in the air to form a smoke-like mixture ,While,..

this impalpable lead-dust is capable of a vai riety of uses, it isespecially-adapted to-"the formation of lead compounds, suchI as' white lead. I l

My invention comprises apparatus adapted to perform the following operations :":breakin g up the lead While in a liquid, state in to 'a state of extreme subdivision by violent disch' r'ge or impact of portions of the lquidfle'adfjnto oragainst a comparatively quiescent gaseous medium, drawing olf or entraining theliner parts of the resulting lead-dust-by suction'or motion of chef-gaseous medium inwhich such'v re suspended, and sepairatiiigr` dust particles this dustbyany suitable means 'fro m' tile gagseous medium.;`7 i V' Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this Specification, Figure 1 is a Vertical section of an apparatus adapted to carry out myinvention', Fig, 2 is a detail horizontal section en the 1in@ A A in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'ahorizontal sectionony the line B .B in Fgl- Fg 4: S a vertical section of the apparatus for reducing the lead 0r other fusible materialto a stat@ 0f dusai" Fig. 5 is adetil horizontal-sectien' 011 @heling C C in y 1g. u

Referring toFgS. ljand 1l, a represents a .tank folvs'leltllg ihfle'ad, 'the same being heated by a gas-blll`ller or other' heater b. andl dil' the 110213 .fIOIll 'the burner'into contact also servin'gin conj unction wlth suitable Supports or framing to sup- PTOVG With 'all' lClbsing j acket-casing c to port the tank. A tap or draw-off pipe d leads from bottom of tank a and may be closed or' opened to any desired extent by a'plug or' valve e, operated by a hand-wheel or handle f.

A pulverizing or atomizing/machine,I come i prising a rotating lead-spraying drum, recep V tacle, or vessel g, is arranged in position to into or communicating with such vessel, such. pipe having li1/"rotative joint at t (See Fig'. 4)

to enable it'to be lifted away from the vessel g when desired. The vessel gis carried on a shaft jg' preferably vertical, mounted to rota L0 in bearings 7c c. Acasing Z surrounds the rotating vessel. g, the pipe'h passingtt'nrough Jan opening h'in this casing and havlng a flange m, adapted to effectually close this opening: i

- The vessel g is preferably of the doublecene form or lenticular/form shown and 1s perforated at its outeredge or rim, as shown at n, there being any desired number of these perforations,according to the capacity or output desired. While a single perforation may suifice in some cases, it is desirable to provide morethan one, so as to balance the machine. Tnese perforations are quite small,

but.are much larger in diameter than the I eventual size of the particles resulting from v@the operation of the machine. A door O is arranged in the lower part of casing Z to en-v able removal of such material as falls to the bottom of said casing, and an opening p, preferably protected with a wire screen, is provided in the wall of the casing.

Leading from the upper part of the casing and preferably from the top of same on the side remote from opening p is a suctionpipe q, leading to a suction-fan, blower, or air-d raft apparatus fr, whose delivery or exit pipe is indicated at s. The pipe q may be provided with a regulating damper or valve t. The shaft j and the blower r are mechanically connected to any suitable'source of power, being here shown as `connected by belts fu. v and pulleys '/.v to a motor y. A gas-burner preferably provided with Vair-blast is arranged in casing Z in such position that the flame issuing therefrom may be delivered against or under the vessel 0. The shaft 7' is ICO shut oi from-the chamber inelosed by casing l by a jacket 1. A coupling 2 is provided for connecting the 'shaftj to the motor-pulley u, so as to transmit rotary movement, but not the endwise vibration.

The operation of the apparatus as so far described is as follows: The valve e being closed, the tank a is charged with lead,which is melted by means of the heater b. Burner z is also brought into action to heat the vessel g to a temperature above the melting-point of lead, said burner being then turned off. The liquid lead is then admitted through valve e and pipes d and h to the vessel g, and the shaftj being set in motion or having been already set in motion the melted lead is rotated with the vessel g. The speed of rotation of vessel `qis such that the liiuid lead is forced out through the holes n by centrifugal action and leaves these openings witha high velocity. The violen ce of its disf -;facharge or ejection is, in fact, so great that the portions of liquid lead so ejected are broken up by'their impact with the atmosphere or gaseous medium surrounding the vessel g, thus edecting a spraying or atomizing action on the lead', so as to reduceit, or a part of it, to a State 0f impalpable dust which is capable of being held in suspension in air for a `.'onsiderable length of time. The fan or lower r being also set in motion, a current` Pf air is drawn through the chamber containing the atomizing-drum g, and the iiner particles-that is, those held in suspension in the air or gaseous medium in such chamber-are drawn off or entrained with this current of air or gaseous medium through the pipe ,0 and delivered through the pipe s to any suit*-l able dust-separator, whether of the gravity,.

cenrifugahor other type. The valve t enables the force of the air-'current to be regulatT l so as to draw olf only the impalpably line dust. The heavier dust settles to bottom of chamber Z and may be withdrawn through door o. 'Ihe lead-dust thus formed is adapted for varlous purposes; but itis especially applicable to the productionof white lead and other lead compounds.; but in any case it is desirable to separate the lead-dust from the entrainin gair to permit of its suspension or settlement 1n a suitable chamber. For this purpose I arrange the apparatus as above described in connection with separating apparatus, as shown 1n Fig. 1. The pipe s from the blower 1' leads into a centrifugal dust-separator arranged at the top of a tower or separatingchamber 3. This-separator comprises a casing 4, having the pipe s leading tangentially into same, and an inner tube 5,eXtending down from the top of the casing 4 and opening at its bottom into the separator-chamber formed by casing 4 and communicating at its upper end, as shown at 6, with the outer air. A hood 7 is. provided for the tubular outlet 5. rhe cas1 ng4 is extended down in the form of a funnel into the tower 3 and terminates in a contracted mouth or dustoutlet As tho d ustladen air passes tangentially into the separator chamber or casing it takes up a vortical or rotary movement, and the dust is therebv separated, and, passing to the outer wall of the chamber, it falls down through the funnel and into the tower 3, while the air passes inwardly to tube 5 and upwardly in said tube to the outer air. It is desirable to maintain the'air or gaseous medium inthe tower or chamber 3 comparatively quiescent, so as to allow a slow and even settling or subsidence of the dust therein, and to insure this I prefer to provide means for breaking up the vortical or rotary movement at the mouth 8 of the separator-funnel. Such means comprises an obstructing-plate, deiector, or bathe-plate or device` 9, arranged below or within such mouth. This device is shown as a downwardly-flaring cone with ribs l0 and teeth 3l and is adapted not only to break up the vortical air-current, but to distribute the dust more uniformly in the upper part of the tower. The vibration of this plate due to the air-currents may be utilized to shake the dust therefrom. In order to obtain a better distributing eft'ect, the device 9 may be made to rotate on a vertical shaft 11, supported in bearings 12, and I prefer to rotate it in opposite direction to the vortical movement, the shaft 11. carrying a wind-wheel 13, located in the tubo 5 and adapted to be rotated by the upward passage of air in such tube to propel the dcvice 9 contrary to the vortical movement, and thus -more eiectually break up such movement at the mouth 8, while improving the distributing effect of the device 9.

The tower `or chamber 3` may be of any suitable construction and is provided at or nearits bottom with a door 14 to enable removal oi-the settled dust or of the product resulting therefrom. The dust of lead or other fusible lmaterial carried in with. the air-current thro'ngh pipe s and delivered from same IOO IIO

by means of the separator 4 and the baiiling device .9 ,tothe top of the tower or chamber in a iinely-uniform cloud or smoke of iinelydivided dry lead or .fusible material is allcw'ed to fall'slow'ly in the tower by its own gravity land may be allowed to settle and be removed unaltered or may be acted upon while'in the chamber by any suitable chemical agent.

Ilaving thug described myiuvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A machine for converting fusible niaterial inte dust, comprising a rotary vessel having unobstructed peripheral openings, means forheating Said vessel above the melting-point of the fusible material and means for rotating said vessie1 @if a Spi-10d Sufficient to spray the melted maiielalflOlll hpliplleral openings into the fOI'm 0f iUSR 2. An apparatusforcdnvertingafusible material into dust, comprising a I'Oiidl'y Vessel having unobstructed pliphe'll Openings, means fc.' heating th@ vessel above the melting-point of the fusible material, means for supplying the melted fusible material to the vessel and means for rotating said vessel at a speed sufficient to cause spraying of the melted material from such Openings in the form of dust.

3. A machine for converting fusible material into dust, comprising a rotary vessel having unobstructed peripheral openings, means for heating said vessel, means for rotating'said vessel ataspeed su fticient to spray the melted material from the peripheral openings into the form of dust, and a casing surrounding said vessel'.

4. A machine forvcoriverting fusible material intodust, comprising a rotary double cone-shaped vessel, mounted on a shaft arranged in line with the cone-axis, and provided at its periphery with openings to permit passage of the fused material and having an axial opening through which such material may be supplied, meansJ for heating said vessel, and means for rotating said vessel at a speed su'flicient to spray the melted material from the peripheral openingsinto the form of dust. y

5. An apparatus for converting fusible material into dust,con1prisinga rotaryvessel perforated to allow ofthe discharge' of melted material therefrom, means for supplying melted material to said vessel, means for heating said vessel, means for rotating said vessel to cause the melted material to be ejected through the 'perforations of the vessel at a sufiicient speed to cause spraying of the same, an inclosin g casing and means for passing a` current of air or gaseous medium through said casing to entrain thedust particles suspended therein.

6. An apparatus for converting fusible materialinto dust comprising a rotary vessel perforatedto allow of the discharge of melted material therefrom, means for supplying melted material in said vessel, means for rotating said vessel to cause the melted material to be ejected through the perforata cf the t essel at a suiiicient speed to cause spraying of same, an inclosing casing and means for passing a current of air or gaseous medium through said casing to entrain the dust particles therein, and a dust-separator for separating the dust so entrained from the entraining-air.

'7. An apparatus for converting fusible material into dust, comprising means for melting such material, spraying means for converting the melted material into impalpable dust, airdraft apparatus for producing a current of air to entrain the dust suspended in such air, a separator for separating the dust from the entraining-air, a chamber and means for discharging the separated dust into such chamber, and for breaking up the vertical air-currents to enable the dust to settle.

8. The combination with a machine for converting fusible material into dust, of air-draft apparatus for entraining the dust, a settlingchamber, a centrifugal dust-separator having a contracted mouth communicating with such chamber, and an obstructing device located in proximity to such mouth to break up the vertical movement of the air at such mouth.

9. .The combination With amachine for converting fusible material into dust, of air-draft apparatus for entraining the dust, a settlingchamber, a centrifugal dust-separator com- ,municating with such air-draft apparatus and having a contracted mouth communicating with such chamber, a rotatable obstructing device in proximity to such mouth, and'means for rotating same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination with a machine for converting fusible material into dust, of air-draft apparatus for entraining the dust, a settlingchamber, a centrifugal dust-separator communicating With such air-draft apparatus and having a contracted mouth communicating with such chamber, a rotatable obstructing device in proximity to such mouth, and means for rotating same, in opposite direction to the vertical movement in the separator, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT F. MADDEN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, WM. A. CoUR'rLAND. 

